“You’re welcome. You have a pretty full day today. Do you need me to cancel anything?”
Her persistent caring made me smile despite myself.
“No, I’ll be okay thanks. Just a bad night. I’m sure I’ll be fine after a cup of your coffee.”
She brightened and proceeded to sit down so that we could continue with our daily routine of going over my schedule.
Sherry was the model of efficiency. She was in her thirties and a single mom. She had never remarried, and I could only assume that was a personal choice. She was attractive and held back mid-life curves with daily yoga after work. She had a business degree and a good head for numbers. I had offered her opportunities in budget and finance a number of times, but she refused. She said she enjoyed her job with me. I couldn’t argue with that I don’t know what I would have done without her.
After half an hour we were finally done, and Michael appeared in the doorway. He helped himself to coffee.
“Whoa, you look like roadkill.” He said when he sat down across me. Sherry gave him a sour look as she got up to leave.
“Thanks.” I concentrated on my email. Michael had become part of my morning routine just like Sherry.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.” I responded in a tone that possibly suggested otherwise and asking about it further would be futile.
Michael waited for Sherry to close the door behind her. “Are you having nightmares?” He pressed.
Despite the fact that it was Ethan I had wanted to be there for me when I was in the hospital, I wouldn’t have made it without Michael. “Only the one I’m having right now.” I deleted a few messages and flagged a few more to read later.
“Funny,” he responded, undaunted.
“I thought so.” I quipped.
“Listen, I thought we’d review our contract before out meeting later today with Chemlab.” He was back to business.
“Why?” I wondered aloud.
“We’ll need to make sure we are asking for everything we need. We want to be covered from a liability standpoint if any one of our devices fails based on some faulty plastic, they provide us.”
I guess this is why we have lawyers. “God, this stuff makes my head hurt.” I leaned back in my chair. When I took over the company, I created a new branch to produce high tech prosthetics for veterans. Chemlab Corp was providing some of the materials used in construction.
“I know, but you need to be aware of this and we also need to protect you personally as well as the company. You know how people are, they will sue whoever they think can afford to pay them.”
“I know, I know. What if what Chemlab provides us is a good quality product but how it is applied creates a faulty part, are we covered for that?”
“Yes, we have those bases covered with assembly quality control and testing. And also, the manufacturing aspect, which is all Port City Industries, I have the main core of the company shielded in case this arm, no pun intended, fails.”
“Your turn to be funny.” I rolled my eyes.
Michael scooted close to the desk. “Look, it just makes good business sense.”
“I know it does and you make sure this is all on the up and up as I don’t want anything to even have a whiff of impropriety.”
“Listen if you go down, I go down and I like my lifestyle. I’m not going to risk it on some half-assed scheme. No offense.”
“None taken.”
Michael checked his watch. “Well, it’s almost time for your first meeting of the day, I’ll see you later.” He stood and straightened his Tom Ford suit and strolled out of the office.
Sherry frowned at him again as she came in to remind me of my meeting. She handed me a file. “They are already seated at the table.”
“Good. Thank you.”
I walked down the hall to the large oval conference room. It had an impressive view of the city.
“Good Morning, sorry to keep you waiting.” I said as I walked in.
Eight faces turned to greet me.
Chapter Ten
Ethan
I drove to the office and parked the car and then walked down the street to a coffee shop. I needed something different than the normal office coffee. I stood watching people come and go as I waited for my order. I wondered how many times Kay and I had unknowingly passed one another in the city, maybe even in a coffee shop like this one? It didn’t seem possible. I would have known her on sight.
I got my coffee and walked back to work lost in my own thoughts. I really needed to snap out of this rut I was in. Maybe Logan was right, maybe I needed to forget all this business about fate bringing us back together and go find Kay.
Logan was already at work when I arrived.
“Morning.” I said as I came in.
Logan looked up didn’t immediately say anything. I let it go.
“Where’s Jared and Steph?” I asked.
“Out in the field.” Logan stood up. “Ethan, we are friends so I feel like I can say this.”
“What?” I looked up, bracing myself for what seemed to be coming.
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to look worse than you did but you look like you’ve been on an all-night bender.”
“Shut up, Logan.”
“I’m serious, you are not okay, man.” He was sincere.
“I wasn’t on an all-night bender and I didn’t even have anything to drink last night.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. I just.” I hated to admit it even to Logan. “I fell asleep in my car last night.”
“What? Where? In your driveway?”
“No on the way home.”
“At the wheel?” Logan looked alarmed.
“I had pulled over. I was parked.”
“Ethan, this is getting dangerous; man, you need to do something.” It’s not often Logan gets this concerned.
“I was doing something.” I skirted the issue.
“What?” He was relentless.
“I was sitting outside her house. I think it was her house anyway.” I confessed.
“Dude, this is off the rails sort of behavior. I feel
